Right From the Start
by LaraDrake
Summary: Killian Jones leaves Storybrooke the night after his high school graduation, heartbroken and looking to escape the trappings of a small town. Emma Swan's life hasn't gone as she had planned since then either. Years later, Killian returns for his cousin's wedding and finds out that while some things never change, a small town can't stay the same forever. CaptainSwan AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Rating is for future chapters. Please let me know what you think!

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There were millions of places all over the world that were more dangerous than Storybrooke and Killian Jones wished that he was driving into any of them. It had been a dozen years since he had driven this same road in the opposite direction, ready to start his life outside of the small town that he grew up in. Like so many of his classmates, he had vowed to leave, desperate for a future that would set him free from small town life. His ticket out came in the form of acceptance to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. There, he had focused on his training and graduated with honors, his mother flying down to see him graduate. Immediately after his graduation, he was assigned and shipped out, rising through the ranks quickly enough that he was considered one of the Navy's brightest young officers.

Killian slowed his rental car as he reached Main St, turning at the clock tower above the library to head to his mother's house. A glimpse of gold out of the corner of his sunglasses had him slowing even further, trying to see if it was golden hair that he had seen. It wasn't, just a flag gently wafting in a garden in front of a house. He returned his eyes to the road and sped up a little, focusing on the street ahead and pushing thoughts of his last week in Storybrooke to the back of his mind.

Adelaide Jones had kept her home well in the years that Killian had been gone. The paint of the house was a lively sea foam green and there were well-tended flowers lining the walk up to the front door. Killian parked the car on the street and took a deep breath as he looked up at the house that held more than enough memories. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head and started up the front walk, the scent of the flowers mingling with the slightly salty smell of the nearby bay.

Home, he thought as he reached the front door. His mother had replaced the old wooden door for one of those trendy doors with all of the glasswork that looked like crystal. He pressed the bell, pushing the hand into his jeans pocket as he waited. A dozen years and he was finally back. He held his breath as he waited. The sound of footsteps drew closer to the front door and the door opened in a flourish. A petite woman with graying dark hair grinned up at him, her smile wide and welcoming as she threw her arms around him. "Killy!" she practically squealed, laughing and smiling and loving him in an instant.

"Mom," he breathed, wrapping his arms tightly around the older woman, breathing in her scent. He felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. God how he missed her. He held her tight. Leaving his mother so suddenly and not visiting her when she asked was something that he regretted over the years. He'd written her as much as he could, but he'd never agreed to come home for a visit. Instead, he told her that he was busy, which was true, he'd avoided all of his superiors requests that he take leave for more than just a handful of days.

Adelaide pulled back and grinned up at her son. She held onto his arms and studied his face. "You look well." Her eyes drifted over his face and down the rest of him, making sure that all of her son was in one piece. "You've grown so much…" Her eyes welled with tears and she threw her arms around her son again, burying her face in his t-shirt. He swallowed and hugged his mother, the lump in his throat growing.

He knew coming home for the first time was going to be hard. He'd seen his mother when he'd graduated from the Naval Academy, but there were friends and family that he hadn't seen in years. Some of them would not be as welcoming as his mother, he knew. Knowing Adelaide, she had kept everyone updated if they asked about him. She was proud of her son and had always said as much in the letters that she wrote to him.

Squeezing him once, Adelaide sniffled and stepped back. She kept her hands on Killian's arms. Her smile was brilliant again, transforming her face despite the salty tracks that her tears had left on her cheeks. "Your cousin is going to be so happy that you've come to visit. She was hoping you would walk her down the aisle next week." She turned and motioned to him to follow her to the kitchen. "You will be here for the wedding? How long are you staying?"

Killian followed his mother into the sunlit kitchen, the large picture windows letting in enough light to cast the kitchen into a warm afternoon glow. "I'll be here for the wedding." He slid onto one of the stools at the island counter to watch his mother bustle about the kitchen. Memories of her with less gray in her hair moving around the kitchen to try to keep up with the appetite of a teenage boy warmed him. He smiled at her.

"Good. You can stay in your old room." She stopped and made a face, remembering. "Or not… Well, you could stay on the sofa in the sitting room, if you want." She went for her tea kettle, filling it and then setting it on the stove to heat. Turning around, she leaned back on the counter next to the sink to face her son.

"It's alright, Mom. I'll stay at Granny's." In one of her letters, Adelaide had mentioned converting his bedroom into a work space and boxing up his things. He hadn't minded. It had taken her around two years to bring it up and it wasn't like he was planning on visiting any time soon.

Adelaide smiled at him, folding her arms. "Such a good boy," she murmured and watched her son look away shyly. "You really are, you know. Even after everything, you are a good son." She studied him as if she were memorizing every part of him, noting what had changed and what had not. "Liam would be proud of you." A brief note of sadness touched her words before she smiled at Killian again.

He folded his hands together and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the cool marble top of the island. His thoughts drifted to his brother and he shook his head. He tried hard to live up to Liam's legacy and he wasn't always sure he measured up. "So… Tell me about the wedding. Or Robin. Or…" his voice trailed off and he met his mother's eyes, shrugging his shoulders and trying to keep a light smile on his face. He silently wondered if she had left Storybrooke, but even after a dozen years, he didn't want to come right out and ask his mother about the girl he had been in love with, was still in love with.

"Well, your cousin is marrying a doctor. He apparently went to school with someone from Storybrooke. He did his residency at the hospital and that was where he met your cousin. She fell out of a tree." Adelaide covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"What was she doing in a tree?"

"A cat, a kitten really, had gone up in the tree and Jefferson's daughter, Grace, was crying because it was crying so she climbed the tree to get the kitten down. She fell out of the tree, the kitten was safe, Grace stopped crying, and your cousin ended up in the ER with a bone bruise."

"Wait, Jefferson has a daughter?" Killian stared at his mother, surprised at Jefferson more than he was at his cousin falling out of the tree. She always was clumsy when they were growing up. Jefferson, on the other hand, had been a self professed ladies man last time he had seen him. He'd gone off to college before Killian had graduated high school.

Adelaide nodded. "She's 11 and the most adorable little girl I have ever seen. Jefferson worships the ground she walks on. I have never seen a man more enamored with their daughter. I'm sure she gets everything she could dream of."

Killian laughed, nodding. It sounded like Jefferson to be totally devoted to his loved ones. "So, he's married?"

"He was… Grace's mother passed away when she was born. Jefferson was devastated. She had been his world and then there was only him and Grace." The kettle whistled softly and she went to pull two mugs down out of the cabinet and take the kettle off the stove. "He would do anything for his daughter," she said softly.

It struck him that he had missed a lot. Jefferson, one of his childhood friends, had loved and lost and was now a father. His cousin was getting married. "Robin?" he asked, anxious to know if his best friend had changed.

Adelaide finished pouring the water into the mugs, dropping a tea ball into each, and turned to place one in front of her son. She smirked. "As long as he is free tonight, you'll see him. He asked me to let him know when you showed up." She turned to pick up her phone and tapped carefully on the screen, hitting send. "He made me promise."

Killian sighed, not sure if he wanted everyone to know he was back in town, but if Robin hadn't changed, the whole town would know he was back. He picked at the chain on the tea ball, playing with it in the hot water as he wondered if Robin would hug him or punch him for how he left. "Any other surprises?" he asked, looking up at his mother through long lashes.

She pulled the tea ball out of her own tea and took a sip. "She asked about you the other day."

He stiffened, pulling the tea ball out and setting it on a napkin he took out of the nearby basket. "Who?" he tried to ask lightly, knowing instantly who his mother was talking about.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "You know who. The girl that you have been in love with since she moved into town when you were twelve." She raised her hand to stop his protest before he could make a sound. "I'm your mother, remember? Anyway, Emma asked how you were the other day when I saw her in Granny's."

Emma. Killian closed his eyes and the memories of the days leading up to his graduation played in his mind. Seeing Emma smiling, laughing, promising to meet him. Sneaking out to meet their friends. Hearing her words to her best friend. Fearing rejection, that he never had a chance. Confronting her in the moonlight. Her rejection. Killian had decided to take off for the Academy as soon as he could, his future being his salvation.

He shook his head to clear the memories from his mind and opened his eyes to see a concerned look on his mother's face. "What did you tell her?" he asked quietly.

Adelaide didn't say anything right away, just studied her son's face. "I always knew something happened between you two before you left. You know you can always tell me."

"Mom, what did you tell her?" he asked again, brushing off her words. He'd kept it to himself all these years and wasn't about to share now.

She sighed. "Just that you were doing well and still in the Navy." She sipped her tea.

"Nothing about me coming in for the wedding?" He was hopeful that Emma didn't know that he was coming into town, let alone actually coming early. As much as he wanted to see her, he didn't want to see her at the same time. After his graduation ceremony, he'd walked right past Emma, her words still stinging his heart.

Adelaide shook her head. "No. I only told Robin and Marco and I made both of them promise not to say anything. I wanted this to be your surprise for your cousin."

Nodding his thanks, he took a sip of tea and then stopped. "Marco? As in August's father Marco?"

A blush spread across her cheeks and she tried to hide her face behind her mug. "Yes."

Killian studied his mother for a moment, taking in the blush and the way her body language changed. She seemed younger, more playful. "Are you seeing him?" he asked slowly.

Adelaide nodded slowly, her blush growing darker. "It's only been a few months…"

"My mother is dating Marco Booth." He chuckled softly, at once feeling slightly weird and happy for his mother. Killian was sure more had changed in Storybrooke since he had left and he hoped that there were more good things than bad. Emma and Robin were still here, though, but he wondered what had changed about them. Maybe Emma wouldn't still hold his heart in her hands like she had all those years ago. Or maybe she still did.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma's fingers smoothed the top of her head, picking another little piece of glass out of her hair. She scrunched her nose as she dropped the piece into her carryout coffee from the morning. It clinked against other pieces of glass and pottery. She huffed and slumped in her seat, trying to inspect her hair for more pieces of lamp in the little mirror on the back of the visor.

Next to her, her partner chuckled as he guided the police cruiser down Main Street in Storybrooke. He glanced over at her, his dark brown eyes smiling at his blonde partner. "Maybe you shouldn't have dared her to throw the lamp," he said, his deep, lightly accented voice rumbling through over the words.

"What else was I supposed to do, Humbert? It was either get her to throw the lamp at me, or risk her throwing it at her husband and hurting him. At least I knew I could get out of the way in time." Emma dropped another piece of the lamp into the cup and sighed, sitting up and closing the visor.

Emma and Graham had answered the call on a domestic dispute about an hour ago. A neighbor had called in saying they were hearing the sounds of things breaking and screaming. When they had learned of the address, the Sheriff had called his 'best deputies' to try and calm Sharon and Carl Betrand down. Again. Apparently, Sharon had found out about Carl's new girlfriend in Boston and wasn't pleased.

"I'll be picking lamp out of my hair for a week," Emma groused, glaring at Graham when he chuckled again. She folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window of the cruiser.

Years ago, all Emma had talked about was leaving Storybrooke, going somewhere far away where she could start her life fresh. She wanted to make her own decisions, not live by the whim of social services any longer. It had meant breaking free if she could get out of Storybrooke, but that hadn't been in the plans for young Emma Swan. She'd watched the boy she loved graduate and leave all because she didn't want to stay. When he'd left, a gaping hole opened in her heart that Emma tried to fill with anyone she could.

"Emma?" Graham asked, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

She started and her eyes darted to her partner. "Hmm?" she asked, chasing away memories of brilliant blue eyes and a boyish, innocent smile.

Graham glanced at her, slowing at a stop sign. "Do you have plans for dinner?" he asked again, a slight tremor in his voice. He'd been dancing around asking her out for months.

Emma chewed on her bottom lip and met Graham's eyes for a moment before she looked ahead. "I'm supposed to meet Ruby after work."

"Okay." He let off the brake and drove forward. He tightened his jaw and nodded, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. Graham was nervous. Usually, he was cool and calm and always stepped correctly, but when it came to emotions, he just wasn't comfortable. He cleared his throat and flicked the turn signal to turn into the station's parking lot. "Tomorrow?" he asked, guiding the cruiser in next to the Sheriff's.

"Graham…" she started softly, glancing down at her hands. He was her partner, more often then not. The Sheriff usually paired them together, saying they were his 'best men'. Emma knew he was telling the truth. Out of all Sheriff Walter's choices, Emma and Graham had the ambition and training to eventually take his place once he retired. It was one of the many reasons why Emma thought highly of her partner. She'd even imagined what it would be like with him more than a few times. Graham was a good man.

He turned off the engine and turned in his seat to look at his partner. "Emma. We get along great, don't we? We make a great team." He looked down, nervous and then back up, his dark eyes looking slightly sad, like he thought she wasn't going to agree with him. "We could be good together."

Emma swallowed and nodded. Graham was most definitely a good, sweet man. Maybe she could give him a chance. Ruby was always telling her that she could do much worse and should try to give love another chance with someone other than Henry. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, taking her to-go cup with her. Closing the door, she took a deep breath and met his eyes over the roof once he climbed out. "Okay." She gave him a small smile.

"Okay?" Graham asked, a smile spreading across his handsome face.

"Okay," Emma said again, his smile causing hers to grow. She looked down, her cheeks coloring. "I've got paperwork before I have to meet Ruby."

Graham nodded, still smiling as he closed the door to the cruiser and followed Emma. He gently caught her arm on the stairs, letting his fingers trail down until he was holding her hand. His dark, chocolate eyes met her green ones and she felt heat rising in her cheeks as a warm feeling settled in her chest. "Hey, thank you," he said softly.

Emma smiled again and squeezed his hand briefly before pulling it away. He was too sweet, almost, but she knew she could love him one day. Never like that boy, but she could still love him. Nodding, she turned and finished climbing the stairs. That she had a date, a date with Graham, kept running through her head with every step.

Inside of the station, Emma could hear David talking excitedly into his phone. She turned the corner to see him standing next to his desk, grinning broadly. "Yeah. Sure. I mean, I can't believe it." His eyes fell on Emma and the grin fell a little before it came back. "Tomorrow. Sure. We'll be there." He paused. "Emma too."

"Emma too, what?" she asked when he hung up his phone, giving David a sideways glance. She dropped the to-go cup into her garbage can.

"Uh, we're meeting Robin at the Rabbit Hole for drinks tomorrow night." David smiled sheepishly. "Hope you don't mind."

Emma rolled her eyes and dropped into the chair at her desk. "I do, actually." She looked up and met Graham's eyes as he walked past her to get to his own desk. "I have dinner plans."

David chuckled. "Since when do you have dinner plans?" He watched her, a look of surprise and curiosity on his face.

"Since now," she snapped and slammed her desk drawer. She focused on the report, starting to fill in the blanks.

"You have a date?" he asked and walked over to sit on the edge of Emma's desk. He reached out and put a hand over Emma's. "Emma?"

She glared at the man that had been like a brother to her for years and jerked her hand back. "So what?" She glanced over her shoulder at Graham and saw him acting like he was focused intently on some paperwork on his desk.

David started to reply and then stopped, following her gaze. He looked back at the blonde and then over to his fellow deputy and back again. "Wait, you have a date with Graham?" He chuckled again, smiling at Emma as he shook his head. "About time."

Emma felt her face heating up again and wanted to kick herself for all the blushing she was doing lately. She had always liked Graham and felt a little pull towards him, but she could always shut all of that off. Ever since the fall that she had found out she was pregnant, she'd push any sort of attraction down and focus. She's focused on getting through her pregnancy, getting her GED, getting through night school, and raising Henry. There wasn't any room for someone else.

"How about you both stop by for a drink after dinner then?" David looked between Graham and Emma.

"I don't-"

"Please, Emma?" David gave her his best pleading look, sticking his bottom lip out just a little too much. "For me?"

Emma shook her head. "Or, you'll sic Ruth on me, right?" David had used his mother to guilt her into a lot of things over the years. Anything Ruth asked Emma to do, she did. Ruth had taken her in when her last foster family had thrown her out. She watched David grin and sighed. "Fine."

"Alright! Eight o'clock at the Rabbit Hole." He tapped her desk with his hand and then headed to grab his keys for his patrol.

She watched David as he left, looking more excited than she had seen him in awhile. Going out with Robin to the Rabbit Hole wasn't something that David would normally be so excited about. She frowned and looked over at Graham. He was glowing. She took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the wall. She had to meet Ruby in fifteen minutes.

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Emma checked the time on her cell phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Typical Ruby, she was never on time. She shrugged her red leather jacket on and headed down the steps in front of the Sheriff's Office. The street lamps in Storybrooke would be turning on in a few minutes. It was just starting to get chilly, summer not having fully arrived in the small town yet. Emma was grateful. She liked jeans and long sleeves and loved her red leather jacket. Ruth had given it to her one Christmas after Henry was born, saying that she needed something just for her because her life was going to be all about her son for a long time.

Her cell phone chirped and she pulled it out, Ruby's picture filling the screen. "Hey, running late?"

"No, yes." Ruby's voice came quickly and it sounded like she was out of breath. "Granny said that the diner is swamped and that she couldn't get hold of any of the other girls to help. I mean, seriously. I have a wedding next week and she wants me to work an extra shift?" She made an exasperated sound.

"Hey, it's okay, Ruby. How about I meet you at the diner? I'll help you out and we can work on the wedding stuff as we work?" She had started walking down the street.

"Thank you, thank you! You are the best maid of honor that a bride could ask for! I'll see you there!"

Emma tucked her phone back in her pocket, not exactly happy that she was going to end up working at the diner for the rest of the evening. Ruby was her best friend and her getting the wedding of her dreams was important to Emma. Even if that meant Emma having to return to waiting tables like she had when she was a teenager.

Granny's was only a few blocks away from the Sheriff's station and Emma made it there in no time. She pushed open the door, pulling a hair tie out of her pocket. Her eyes immediately moved to the back left-hand booth out of habit. In high school, it had always seemed like her friends had crowded into the booth. Since then, other teenagers had come and gone, but she never stopped looking for them, for the dazzling the smile that greeted her whenever he was there.

It wasn't his smile that she saw today, but Ruby with her arms wrapped around a man that was just taller than her, makeup running as she cried. "I missed you," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she hugged the man even tighter.

Emma stopped just inside, letting the door swing shut behind her. There were less than a handful of people in the diner. She tucked the hair tie back in her pocket, confusion furrowing her eyebrows. She was sure that she hadn't seen the man holding Ruby in Storybrooke before today. He had short, dark hair, messy like he had run his hands through it too many times. Ruby's fiancé Victor was a blonde, but about the same height but where Victor was lean from trips to the gym, this man was fit, his body strong for a purpose. "Ruby?" she asked, walking closer to her best friend.

Ruby sniffled and focused on Emma. "Emma!" she said, a watery smile stretching across her face as she loosened her grip on the man. He stiffened, Ruby focusing on his face for a moment before stepping back and giving him a smile. "Go on," she said softly to him.

He nodded to her and turned around, brilliant blue eyes meeting Emma's green. She froze even as a smile stretched across his face. "Emma, it's been a long time," he said, a soft cadence to his voice.

Her lips parted and she stared at him, memories flooding her mind. He was older now, his hair shorter, his body broader. She remembered him smiling at her with that same, dazzling smile, his eyes full of hope and dreams. Now, they were wary and missing the innocence, but he was still smiling at her. Emma missed him so much. It hit her hard, her stomach twisting and a hollow feeling filling her chest. She searched for something to say, but couldn't find the words.

She swallowed, trying not to remember his shoulder brushing hers as he walked past her on his graduation day. He didn't even look at her, just kept walking right off the field. Emma had thought about chasing after him, but by the time she had gathered the courage, she was standing at the door to his home, his mother looking at her with pity in her eyes as she told her that her son had already left for Annapolis.

Shaking her head, she cleared her mind. Twelve years was a long time, more than enough time to get past those last few days. More than enough time to move on. "Killian," she said, her voice steadier than she thought it would be. "It's good to see you."


End file.
